The Way of Walking Alone

... or The Way of Self Reliance

From Miyamoto Musashi's
Book of Five Rings

• -Think without dishonesty....
  
• -Forge yourself in the way....
  
• -Touch upon all of the arts....
  
• -Know the way of all occupations....
  
• -Know the advantages and disadvantages of all things....
  
• -Develop a discerning eye in all matters....
  
• -Understand what cannot be seen by the eye....
  
• -Pay attention to even the small things....
  
• -Do not involve yourself in the impractical....
  
• -Do not intend to rely upon anything....
  
• -Respect the gods,but do not depend upon them....
• -Although you give up your life, do not give up your honor....

Young Goodman Brown

Nathaniel Hawthorn’s “Young Goodman Brown” is a classic tale of a man’s descent into misery by way of moral struggle in the woods at night. In this tale, Hawthorn depicts a Puritan man by the name of Young Goodman Brown who must reconcile his troubled mind according to his beliefs and role in his community. When he fails to do this, he simply rejects all of society for their own sins. He becomes miserable until the end of his days because of it. The story’s most potent elements are its setting, symbolism, and theme.

The story takes place in Salem Village in the 1600s. This was the center of the witch craze in New England. Immediately, the reader gets a sense of Puritan society. The pious members of the community from that era are famed for their religious distrust and depravity. The story moves to the dark woods, showing a massive shift from the light of community to the dark chasms of the protagonist’s mind.

What I find most interesting in the story is the symbolism. The setting itself represents religious fanaticism. Without that element, the conflict of the story is baseless. The images of the Devil and the witches’ Sabbath mean nothing unless the context of Puritanism is used as a backdrop upon which to hang them. Next is the pink ribbon in Faith’s cap. This represents the wife’s vitality, or it can also stand for the tainted nature of the woman or of Faith itself. The ribbon is neither pure white, nor a scarlet red, but something in between. The most prominent symbol of all is, of course, the dark forest. This represents the protagonist’s troubled mind and, given the outcome of events, the gravity of the situation of which he was not initially aware. The Devil might be Brown himself or an ancestor. As the text indicates, they bore a “considerable resemblance.”

At first glance, the story’s theme seems to be “lose your Faith, ruin your life.” However, I think the actual theme is a bit different. It was Faith itself that betrayed Young Goodman Brown. By holding onto his notions of piety, he struggled immensely with what he saw at the Sabbath. Had he indeed cast aside his Faith fully, he would have been more comfortable with what he found. The real theme, as I see it, is: Don’t get involved with something without a solid understanding of the consequences. You don’t go out to the woods to meet the devil on a whim if you don’t really wish to see him. This can be applied wisely anywhere. Then again, perhaps the faith one has in his convictions, no matter what they are, is the same as that in the already established theme. Without fixity of intent, one will fail in their endeavors unless they happen to be lucky. Whether Brown stayed at home with his wife and remained a man of faith, or decided to go and meet the devil, he should have “stuck to his guns,” so to speak. Ultimately, the weight of Brown’s doubt and indecision is what crushed his spirit, coupled with witnessing the hypocrisy of his community and family members.

All in all, “Young Goodman Brown” is a terrific story. It is rife with actual historic context, powerful symbolism, and influential themes. Many things can be taken from this story. Because the events weren’t clearly real or imagined by the character, the audience is left to deduce the meaning and value for themselves. Clearly an echo of Hawthorn’s own moral struggle in his lifetime, it is a simple story, with a lasting impact.

Incantatory Greeting of the Dawn

“I hope into this morning sun will explode on me....
I hope into this crawling floor will subside with me”
–How Like A Winter (Beyond My Grey Wake)

In between thoughts we have rushed to the current of streaming fresh water that has become the channel for all to take. Nothing is real, everything is fake. There is no such thing as make-believe: All is permitted... In an effort to pierce this stiff air, I must pass along the story of my own experiences. I found myself alert one quiet Sunna’s morning outside my apartment. The sun broke through the horizon across clear skies. It had been gone for nearly a month. A slight yet consistent wind stirred in the branches of the maples and oaks above and around me. Birds conversed in their nests and lofty abodes. Car engines whirled distantly, flashing by as if theirs were the only concerns.

I sat there feeling rather contemplative. I would be off soon, but first I painted a picture of that moment I came to call my personal greeting of the dawn. In that moment- the liminal inbetweenness of the dawn and the day. On the border of rebirth. Hope for future rebirths. I traveled south that morning, while the sun illumined brightly over Back Bay, from its home in the east where the archer’s cup runs over, spilling its life upon all those with open eyes to see and receive...

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Incantatory Greeting of the Dawn

“I’ve slept within the caverns of humanity. Upon my slumberous departure hence, I give thanks and honor to a new day

“Goda, Orvendale, Earendel, I honor you

“Green lush and fertile spirits, allies and powers of the earth, upon which I stand and which grounds me, To the Castle of Depths, Hail! Thank You, and Good Morning

“Bright abode of the Morning Watcher, allies, spirits and powers of the Eastern Source, The Castle of Lights, which ignites my inner-spark and illumines my soul, Hail! Thank You, and Good Morning

“Windswept meadows and sharp, cold breeze which I inhale and which moves me, spirits and powers of the Castle of The Winds in the Southern Mode: Hail! Thank You, and Good Morning

“Misty dew-drenched glades and roaring rainy days- The Stygian free and wide and treachersome ocean tides, complete Lunar Virtue: Powers and Allies of the Western Waters, The Castle of Stars, from which I drink and am sustained: Hail! Thank You, and Good Morning

“To those who sit above and with me on the way, the hidden company: My fetch, my Daemon, my “other” and soul-lover who’s name is The Design of Love and Mystery: Hail, and strength to our union! Guide me on the path to understanding, clarity, and trust. Stay with me if you will, go only if you must.”

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Devotional Prayer of the Mystic

Anno Luci 6009

The following is meant to be said during the self-crossing, usually before any ritual action for eliminating distractions, 'put on the mantle' or what have you. I literally speak these words on a daily basis. I had them hand-printed on a sheet of paper in my inner-room until I memorized it. The point, of course, is to draw you closer to the powers behind these names. If you know what they mean it will be most effective, however, as I’ve learned, you can actually say certain names and the utterance of the sound alone causes changes....

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"Great Mother, Holiest Hyldor, Old Fate and Neccessity, Sovereignty, Supreme Spinner of Reality, Keeper of Elphome, Hollantide White Queen of All, Lady Habondia, Wild and Fertile Woman of the Mound, Dame Venus, Rose-Queen, Maiden and Kore of the Kindling-Quick, She Who Wears the Earth as Her Garment, Mother of Heaven and Hell and All in Between, Kolyo, Casseopia, Artemis, Aradia, Diana, Brigantia, Freyja, Isis, Hera, Heka, Hyldor, Hel...

"Great Father and Master of Artifice and Flame, Bright and Cunning One, Master of the Light and Wisdom, Tubalo-Lucifer, Quayin, Azazel, Black-Clad Hunter and Sword-Smith, Horned and Illuminated, Antlered and Victorious, My Lord, My God, My Friend and Teacher, Wild Turn-Skin and Serpent-Tongued Master, Bestower of Divine Fire, The Old & All-Holy One, Fate’s Lover, Cthonic and Tellurian, Saturnine and Mercurial, Shining and Beautiful, Orvendale, Earendel- Brightest Thou!

"Let me be open to and guided by the highest and most pure inspiration, aspiration, intent, sight and aims. Let me not falter nor let my feet stray from this guidance. Let me not be thrown to cold fate utterly, nor let me be lost or confused. Grant to me the inner-stillness and the wholesome joy that comes from our union.

"Let neither the winds of change nor the whims of humanity nor the tides of form distract me from the Still Voice Within. Should I be distracted, lovingly and swiftly place my feet and mind back upon the path of Truest Wisdom, tempered by the Power to do what is Needed!

Y